Dear Whitman Community,  

Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd.  While we were pleased to see that Derek Chauvin was held accountable, we still have work to do as a country as we continue the process of dismantling racism and hatred. We continue to witness the killing of black adults and children. Asian community members are subjected to hatred and violence. It’s important to us that our students of color feel welcome and safe in our school, and know that their teachers and staff members care deeply for them and are a support.

We understand that the verdict and on-going racism brings up a variety of different feelings for students and their families. As a support we want to share the following resources:

Portland Public Schools  Civic Engagement and Unrest toolkit

Oregon Department of Education  Mental Health and Social Support for Students and Families

We stand in solidarity with our community against racism and hatred. Hate has no place at Whitman. 

Sincerely, 

Stephanie Murdock and Celina Garrido

COVID-19 Screening 

Thanks to all of our families for their support with maintaining a safe and healthy environment for students and staff. We’ve appreciated students showing up to school wearing masks, and asking adults when they need one. Please remember to review The Daily Illness Self-screening Checklist with your child. It can be found here.

Absences and Contacting the School

A friendly reminder, if your child is going to be absent from school, please email Dollie at lovaughn@pps.net, or call (503-916-6370) and let us know. It’s also helpful if you let us know the reason your child will be out (i.e. sick, mental health day, personal appointment).  If you have concerns that your child may be symptomatic, please keep your child home and let us know.